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Self-confessed dog-killer Kristi Noem panned for posting hunting picture in full hair and makeup with pup commenters say looks 'petrified'

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Cite

Gable, S. (2026, October 17). Self-confessed dog-killer Kristi Noem panned for posting hunting picture in full hair and makeup with pup commenters say looks 'petrified'. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16216957/kristi-noem-dog-hunting-photo.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Daily Mail · collected 2026-10-17 · by Sophie Gable

Quick Summary

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem faced backlash online for posting a hunting photo with her dog Foster while wearing full makeup and fancy attire. Social media users mocked her previous confession of killing an untrainable hunting dog named Cricket and commented that Foster looks frightened. Critics accused Noem of hypocrisy, noting the stark contrast between her glamorous appearance and the perceived fear in her dog's eyes during the hunt.
Written by AI on 2026-10-17, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Kristi Noem, former Secretary of Homeland Security and current South Dakota governor, faced significant backlash online after posting a picture with her dog Foster to mark the start of pheasant hunting season. In her post from October 17, 2026, Noem wished hunters good luck and emphasized that pheasant hunting is a tradition worth passing on to future generations. However, social media users criticized her for posing in full makeup with a hunting rifle, expressing concern for the dog's well-being due to her past description of killing another hunting dog named Cricket in her memoir. The criticism intensified as some internet users created AI-edited versions of the photo showing Foster appearing scared and anxious.

Written for “Kristi Noem Hunting Controversy” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Kristi Noem Hunting Controversy
Politics · 3 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 6% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Washington Examiner
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 70/100
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 7 claims Outlet record 66/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
36
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
6%
2 of 36 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
68/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-17 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Daily Mail · 8489 article(s) · 20 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 20 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Sophie Gable
53 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Also by Sophie Gable
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 53 articles by Sophie Gable →

Topics

Cricket Department of Homeland Security Facebook South Dakota

Subjects

Noem PERSON · 16× Cricket PERSON · 3× DHS ORG · 3× Foster PERSON · 3× Trump PERSON · 3× Department of Homeland Security ORG · 2× Kristi Noem PERSON · 2× the Daily Mail ORG · 2× Billy Evans PERSON · 1× Elizabeth Holmes' PERSON · 1×

Narrative

- Sign up for our US Editor's Picks newsletter for the best exclusive stories - READ: Elizabeth Holmes' partner Billy Evans tells all about feud with documentary maker Nathan Fielder in world-first interview Former 'ICE Barbie' and professed dog-killer Kristi Noem was trolled online after posting a photo in full glam and hunting with her dog, as social media users have flooded her comments saying her pup looks 'petrified.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-17
🔮 The worst possible thing you could post would be a dog and a gun, lady.

Claims (36 extracted, 2 hedged)

- Sign up for our US Editor's Picks newsletter for the best exclusive stories - READ: Elizabeth Holmes' partner Billy Evans tells all about feud with documentary maker Nathan Fielder in world-first interview Former 'ICE Barbie' and professed dog-killer Kristi Noem was trolled online after posting a photo in full glam and hunting with her dog, as social media users have flooded her comments saying her pup looks 'petrified. asserted
pup → sign → comments
Noem shared a picture with her hair freshly curled and bundled up in camo hunting gear. asserted
hair → share → gear
She sported a bright orange fleece and hat that matched her dog's collar. asserted
that → sport → collar
One hand gripped her hunting dog, and the other held a hunting rifle. asserted
other → grip → rifle
Foster and I wish you good luck in the field!' she wrote. asserted
she → wish → field
'Pheasant hunting is part of who we are, and it’s a tradition worth passing on to our kids and grandkids.' asserted
it → ’ → kids
Noem added that during her tenure as the state's governor, she launched a program to turn land into wildlife habitat for hunting. asserted
she → add → hunting
But social media users were quick to express concern for Foster as Noem famously detailed a shocking story in one of her memoirs about killing her hunting dog Cricket. asserted
Noem → express → dog
Before she joined the Trump administration, Noem wrote in her book, No Going Back, that she shot Cricket in a gravel pit after the dog showed he was 'untrainable.' asserted
he → join → pit
The sensational story went viral and became synonymous with her political persona. asserted
story → go → persona
Social media users seized the chance to bring it up again after her recent post. asserted
users → seize → post
Kristi Noem was slammed on social media after posting a photo hunting with her dog. asserted
Noem → slam → dog
Picture source: X/@KristiNoem Noem has shared multiple photos online with her hunting dog, Foster. asserted
Noem → share → dog
She previously confessed to putting her former dog Cricket down in her book. asserted
She → confess → book
Noem served as Trump's Department of Homeland Security Secretary before she was fired following multiple controversies. asserted
she → serve → controversies
She's pictured above filming an advertisement last October ' asserted
She → picture → advertisement
The worst possible thing you could post would be a dog and a gun, lady. uncertain
you → post → ?
Come on,' one user wrote. asserted
user → come → ?
'That dog looks nervous AF. asserted
dog → look → ?
Can't blame him,' another added. asserted
another → blame → him
'You can see the pleading for help in his eyes,' wrote a third. asserted
third → see → eyes
'That's the face of a dog that read her book,' a fourth trolled. asserted
fourth → read → book
He knows!' added a fifth. asserted
fifth → know → ?
Noem wrote in her book that Cricket was only 14 months old when she put him down. asserted
she → write → him
She said the pup had an 'aggressive personality' and detailed an instance when he misbehaved during a hunting trip. asserted
he → say → trip
She accused the dog of behaving like a 'trained assassin,' arguing that he killed chickens and bit her. asserted
he → accuse → her
'I hated that dog,' Noem confessed, writing that Cricket was 'less than worthless' and 'untrainable.' The story was meant to prove her belief that she could do what was necessary in politics and in life, but the anecdote was widely criticized instead. 'We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm,' Noem said on social media after the story went viral. uncertain
story → hat → media
Noem said in her book, pictured above, that she killed Cricket with a gun after he proved to be 'untrainable.' asserted
he → say → gun
Even though Noem had a long career in politics before her brush with the Trump administration, the shooting of her family dog was an introduction for many to her. asserted
shooting → have → her
The controversy became the first of many for Noem as she stepped further into the spotlight. asserted
she → become → spotlight
After just over a year at the helm of Department of Homeland Security (DHS), she was fired. asserted
she → fire → Security
And just weeks after Noem departed DHS, photos published by the Daily Mail showed her husband, Bryon, posing in tight pink shorts and a flesh-colored crop top stretched over enormous fake breasts. asserted
husband → depart → breasts
Noem filed for divorce late last month. asserted
Noem → file → divorce
After her stint at DHS, Noem was appointed to a position at the State Department as a special envoy for The Shield of the Americas. asserted
Noem → appoint → Americas
That role expired last month, and she is now transitioning to a position with the department as a senior advisor, Noem wrote in a statement on Friday. asserted
Noem → expire → Friday
The Daily Mail has reached out to Noem's representatives for comment. asserted
Mail → reach → comment
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